[Your Sage Talent has been upgraded to Lv2 (0/1000)] [Your Sage Chakra level has increased. Current: Lv3 (500/5000)] [You picked up 200 Chakra points.] [You picked up 100 Natural Energy.] [You picked up 100 points of Body Flicker Technique experience.] [You picked up 200 points of Lightning Style Chakra Mode experience.]
Golden light continued to stream into Tatsuya's body. Another surge of rewards.
Although most of the Jōnin were locked in a tense standoff and couldn't engage freely, Tatsuya's harvest was still substantial.
The Lightning Style Chakra Mode experience had already reached Lv3.
Other basic techniques like Great Fireball, Water Wall, and Wind Cutter had leveled up.
Even signature skills such as Great Fireball Technique, Konoha Fluid Technique, and Body Flicker Technique hit their max—Lv5, full experience.
Currently, Lv5 was the known ceiling for basic jutsu.
And Chakra? Another 6000 points.
In a Kage-level battle, the sheer amount of chakra bursting into the air was overwhelming.
But most important of all...
Sage Talent.
Once Jiraiya entered Sage Mode, Tatsuya was finally able to pick up fragments of natural energy.
Sage Mode—fusing the natural energy of the world with one's own physical and spiritual energy. In the original timeline, it was powerful enough to wound the Ten Tails Jinchūriki.
A smile formed beneath Tatsuya's mask.
Perfect.
Finally—Sage power had dropped.
The Fourth Raikage had truly lived up to his role as a pressure cooker, forcing Jiraiya to reveal his trump card.
The ultimate support role.
Chicken legs for him tonight.
Tatsuya's Sage Talent: Lv2. Sage Chakra: Lv3 (1400/5000).
[Reminder: Current Sage Talent (Lv2) allows Sage Mode to remain active for 10 minutes. It will deactivate automatically afterward.]
[Upgrade Sage Talent to extend Sage Mode duration.]
[This is a perfect version of Mount Myōboku's Sage Mode—it automatically fuses and generates Sage Chakra. No risk of transformation side effects.]
Perfect Sage Mode.
No risk of turning into a frog. Passive chakra regeneration. Ten full minutes of boosted stats.
"Beautiful," Tatsuya muttered.
With this power, even standard Kage-level ninja would struggle to match him.
---
On the battlefield, Fourth Raikage continued his rampage—but Jiraiya in Sage Mode held him back.
"Damn it!" "Liger Bomb!"
Their clashes echoed like thunder. The result?
Stalemate.
Both fighters were evenly matched.
"If this keeps up… I really could die here," the Raikage thought grimly.
There was danger not just from Jiraiya—but that masked Konoha Anbu lurking in the shadows. If things turned south, he wouldn't escape.
Then it came—a sharp whistle across the field.
The five Elite Jōnin of Kumogakure exchanged looks.
"That's the signal!" "Retreat immediately!"
Smoke bombs exploded—clouds of grey mist filled the area.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
In a flash, the Cloud Shinobi disappeared.
Fourth Raikage shoved Jiraiya back, then shouted over his shoulder:
"Konoha's Anbu—I remember your face! Next time, you're dead!"
Empty words. His retreat was even faster than his threats.
---
Jiraiya snorted. "Typical. All bark, no bite."
In the distance, Terumi Mei narrowed her eyes.
"Mist Technique."
Thick fog filled the battlefield. The remaining Mist Shinobi prepared to withdraw.
But—
Boom!
A blur of motion. One Mist Jōnin didn't even react before his neck was snapped.
"Move!"
"It's the Konoha Anbu!"
Blue eyes widened in terror.
They scrambled, fleeing like startled deer.
Only one was too slow.
Tatsuya struck—swift, precise. Another Jōnin down.
Then, he turned toward the last figure.
"Terumi Mei, right?"
"We'll meet again soon."
That smile under the mask—it chilled her blood.
"He knows my name?"
She turned and fled, heart pounding.
---
Tatsuya didn't chase.
He'd just killed two Jōnin—but no special drops.
Only a few hundred chakra points.
"That confirms it. Quality drops come from prolonged fights, not instant kills," he mused.
Better to play it slow. Milk the rewards.
His gaze lingered in the mist.
"Terumi Mei… not bad."
Yuhi Kurenai was elegant, soft. Terumi Mei was wild, fierce. Two extremes.
In his past life, he'd even collected an unfiltered Terumi Mei figurine.
Now? The real deal might be on the table.
He smirked.
"Looking forward to it."